Eating and Drinking on California's Central Coast

REDBOOK's food editor Babs Chernetz is off on another adventure this week, but in the meantime she sent me this dispatch, from a family vacation on California's central coast. Mmm, California. Mmm, wine. Sounds like I need a vacation. Maybe I'll check out her ideas and suggestions, below.

"I stayed at the charming Hotel Cheval in the town of Pasa Robles, the perfect gateway to checking out wineries and restaurants in the area. I went to dinner the night I arrived with my nephew Alex, who goes to school at Cal Poly, in nearby San Luis Obispbo. We ate at a terrific restaurant in the newly renovated Cass House Inn, in Cayucos. It was one of the best meals I have had recently. Some of the dishes we shared were the roasted marrow bones with garlic crostini and parsley salad, sweet plump mussels, and the Colorado lamb.

"I ate lunch one day at Artisan, which features dishes made with local farmers market and organic ingredients. Some memorable dishes were the crispy calamari with malted vinegar aioli, smoked gouda and porter fondue, and the wild-caught gulf shrimp club with a farmer's market salad. McPhee's Grill has a very eclectic menu for big appetites — portions are large. I tasted yummy ancho duck and cheese quesadillas, Kung Fu baby back ribs, California artichoke fritters, caramelized onion and mushroom flatbread with Point Reyes blue, and a fabulous ribeye steak. Villa Creek restaurant also showcases the food and wine of the area, with such creative dishes as shrimp cooked in garlic and chile oil with grilled bread, and brick roasted chicken with roasted baby carrots, broccolini, mashed potatoes and preserved lemon sauce.

"One more place to check out if you are in the area is Olea Farm. You can taste some of their delicious olive oils — I loved the basil blush olive oil, and they also make an olive jam which is great as is, or as a rub on meat or poultry."

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